More than 20 persons have been injured and an unspecified number k!lled when a vehicle ran into a crowd gathered to watch the popular Calabar Canival.
The incident caused chaos and public outrage.
Reacting to the tragedy, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Balarabe Sule said, “I cannot confirm the actual number of the death presently but I can confirm that over 20 persons have been injured.
“I have personally helped to evacuate a good number of the injured and some corpses to about three clinics in Calabar.”
Eyewitnesses said that more than ten persons including spectators at the ongoing Calabar Carnival were killed when the vehicle lost control and swerved into unsuspecting crowd at the Carnival.
The incident is said to have happened at about 4:00pm on Mary Slessor Road, one of the carnival routes.
Today was listed by the carnival organisers for power bike and exotic cars parades. But the event started late.
The vehicle that lost control was not part of the carnival cars, according to the eye witnesses.
“We saw the truck coming from opposite direction of the carnival procession and rammed into waiting crowd of spectators, hawkers and residents of Bogobiri.
“As many as ten persons are believed to have been killed.”
One of the residents of the area, Abdullahi Mohammed said he cannot speak because one of his cousins was killed in the accident.
The State Governor, Ben Ayade is said to have suspended the annual carnival.